


Cue Cards and Velvet Boxes

by Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot)



Series: Cue Cards and Velvet Boxes [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: 5+1 Things, Fluff, Healing, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mild Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:34:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22842559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofcamelot/pseuds/Leahelisabeth
Summary: 5 times Andrew meant to propose and 1 time he couldn't help it.
Relationships: Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick & Andrew Minyard
Series: Cue Cards and Velvet Boxes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770565
Comments: 59
Kudos: 594
Collections: AFTG Exchange Valentine's Day 2020





	Cue Cards and Velvet Boxes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IKnowWhoYouAre_Damianos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IKnowWhoYouAre_Damianos/gifts).



> My pinch hit for the AFTG Exchange Valentine's Day 2020. The prompts were for proposals and 5+1 fics. I had so much fun writing this and I really hope you enjoy it!!! Thank you to Nikotheamazingspoonklepto for the beta!

1.  
Andrew wasn’t planning on buying a ring. If anyone had told him even six months ago that he would be planning on proposing to the love of his life and building a future that included their own apartment, a shared pro exy team in Boulder, Colorado, two cats, and no tangible end, he wouldn’t have believed it. But here he was, standing in an outlet store in the mall, staring down at a tray of rings made out of various metals, some of them plain, others with precious stones set into the band, and he wasn’t scared, not even a little.

“That one,” he said, pointing to one of the less shiny bands. It was gunmetal grey and had tiny red stones set in a line down the center that reminded him of auburn curls shining in the sunlight.

The salesperson pulled it out,handing it to Andrew. It was perfect.

“We also do engravings for a small fee,” she said, grinning in a way that made him uncomfortable.

“How long does it take?” he asked.

“We don’t have a big queue today so if you go for lunch and come back, it should be finished. I should warn you. If you do get it engraved, you will no longer be able to return the ring,” she said seriously.

Andrew thought about that and had no desire to fight or flee so he nodded sharply, just once.

“Great.” The salesperson grabbed a sheet of paper from under the counter. “Fill this out. Make sure you check off your preferred font and I would suggest double checking the spelling. We do not provide refunds for consumer error.”

Andrew waved her away and quickly filled out the form. By the time he left the mall an hour later, a small velvet box was starting to burn a hole in his pocket.

Buying the ring was easy. As the evening approached, Andrew realized he would need to actually give this ring to Neil at some point and that is when the cold sweats began.

Neil had been out all day. Kevin was in town and Andrew absolutely refused to sit through their constant Exy talk. Neil got supper out, so the first time Andrew saw Neil since he had left that morning, they were meeting on the rooftop of their apartment building in their usual place.

Neil’s smile was brighter and warmer than the gold in the setting sun and Andrew was dazzled. The ring in his pocket threatened to drag him over the edge of the roof, the weight of it disrupting the delicate balance they’d built together. Their kiss hello was full of promises, home, family, future. Andrew wanted to drown in it.

Andrew opened his mouth but the words wouldn’t come. The pressure of them built up in his lungs and wanted to vomit forth but he couldn’t figure out how to give them a voice. The feelings were too big to come from something so inadequate as his tongue. 

Neil was looking at him expectantly but the light was already fading. The sun dropped below the horizon and a chill rose in the air. The roof was unswept and dirty. Andrew had nothing to offer but second hand smoke and a cold bit of concrete. It didn’t feel like nearly enough.

So Andrew sat down on the concrete and Neil huddled into his side. They shared a cigarette back and forth and kissed until their mouths were swollen and sore. But the ring stayed in Andrew’s pocket like a lump of coal, burning through the fabric and scorching his flesh.

2.  
When Aaron asked Katelyn to marry him, he had taken her to the best Italian restaurant in Columbia. He had bought her roses and the ring had arrived as the centerpiece of an elaborate dessert. Aaron had written an entire speech out on cue cards and given it on bended knee. Katelyn had cried. Far be it from Andrew to be caught dead copying his brother but he could not deny that Katelyn and Aaron’s relationship had been the one he most closely observed. They were happy. Everyone they told the story to had gotten this disgusting, mushy look on their face and said ‘it was so cute’.

It sounded awful to Andrew, that kind of vulnerability in public, but didn’t Neil deserve it? He should have a story to tell. Andrew didn’t care what people thought about him, but people should know that Neil was loved and that Andrew deserved to love him.

He wasn’t going to use the same restaurant. That would be tacky, and it was almost a nearly 24 hour drive from their current home. But he found the top rated French bistro in Boulder and made his reservations. He dutifully wrote down the words he wanted to say on five cue cards in tiny, cramped letters. He knew Neil wouldn’t enjoy a fancy dessert but he picked this particular establishment partially because of their beautifully elaborate fruit arrangements.

He had it all worked out with one of the waiters and all he could do was sit, nervous and jittery, barely tasting a bite of any of the five courses, and wait for dessert to arrive.

Neil kept shooting him tiny, confused glances throughout dinner. Their usual dates were takeout on the couch snuggled up with the cats and catching Neil up on all the classic movies he had missed during his tragic childhood. Andrew mentally willed Neil to be patient. It would all make sense soon.

He worked the cue cards out of his pocket with sweaty fingers and took a deep breath, tensing his thighs to stand up. Applause from across the room interrupted him and drew Neil’s focus. A picture perfect couple made a picture perfect tableau on the other side of the dining room. He, in his immaculate suit and tie, knelt before her, in her glamorous updo and shimmering gown, a ring in his strong, confident hands. She wept a single tear and nodded her graceful head before allowing him to place the show-stopping diamond on her slender hand.

“Fuck.”

“Can you imagine?” Neil asked. “What a ridiculous proposal. That guy is trying way too hard. I give them three months tops if they even make it to the wedding.”

Andrew dropped his cue cards under the table and knew there was no chance to salvage the evening. He saw the waiter coming with the fruit arrangement.

“Bathroom,” he said in a slightly strangled voice before getting up and fleeing from the table. He intercepted the waiter and grabbed the ring from the center of the arrangement.

The waiter had a knowing look on his face and Andrew wanted to cram the stupid ring box down his throat. Instead, he went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his burning face, and rejoined Neil once he had calmed himself down.

Neil was happily enjoying the fruit arrangement and he nodded approvingly at the chocolate monstrosity that has been set in front of Andrew.

“I see why you wanted to come here. Dinner and a show,” Neil laughed.

Andrew nodded. He gathered up the fallen cue cards and shoved them back in his jacket pocket while Neil waited for him in the car.

3.  
Andrew backed off for a couple weeks as he tried to come up with the right idea. He told Aaron about the restaurant, partially because he thought Aaron might actually be helpful, and partially because he really was trying to keep that line of communication open. They were living in different cities now but they had never been so alike. They both were living with someone they loved. They were both coming to terms with forever. Maybe Aaron was a little bit ahead in that he had already asked ‘the question’, but they were really beginning to see eye to eye.

“Don’t overthink it,” Aaron said on the phone after he was finished laughing. “I never would have chosen to propose to Katelyn that way but I knew it was what she wanted. She’d talked several times about wanting to go to that restaurant. She squealed over cheesy proposals and heartfelt speeches. She thought the ring in the dessert was cute and she wanted something traditional and romantic. I don’t know about you but traditional and romantic are probably two of the last words I think of when you mention Josten.”

Andrew stayed silent.

“Look, you’ll figure it out,” Aaron continued. “I’m really happy for you, that you’re going for what you want.”

Andrew hung up and threw his phone on the bed. He stared at it for at least five minutes before picking it up and texting his brother. _you too_

Obviously a restaurant proposal was off the table. Andrew snorted a little at his unintentional pun. He needed something in between. It needed to be more special than something they did every night but it shouldn’t be something so over the top they wouldn’t be enjoying themselves. Slowly a plan started to take shape in Andrew’s mind.

He rewrote his cue cards. He thought of a few new things to say and some of the words on his old ones had been smudged by sweaty fingers. Somehow, he now had six.

He picked an afternoon when Neil would be out of the house and baked oatmeal cookies. They were one of the only things he knew how to bake that Neil would also eat. He made sandwiches and he picked out a nice bottle of wine and he packed up the fuzzy orange blanket Nicky had gifted them for Christmas.

He packed everything into the trunk of the car with an ice pack to keep it cold and waited for Neil to come home, uncomfortably aware of the ring and those damned cue cards in his pocket.

“Chinese or Thai?” Neil asked as he walked in the door. He tossed his messenger bag carelessly into the corner and knelt down for pets as Sir and King came to welcome him home.

“We’re not getting takeout tonight,” Andrew said.

Neil sniffed the air. “Did you bake today? Cookies aren’t supper. Melissa is going to be pissed at you if you keep doing this.”

“What makes you think I care about the opinions of that half-baked nutritionist?” Andrew rolled his eyes. “Come on. We’re going for a drive.”

Neil looked confused but he didn’t argue until Andrew started to drive them out of town.

“Not to mess with your plans or anything, but I’m actually pretty hungry. I had a long busy day and I forgot to eat lunch again,” Neil said as the lights of the city faded behind them.

“Just have a little faith in me,” Andrew said, scanning the side of the road for a particular sign.

“I do,” Neil said softly. “I always do.”

Something warm and soft and sweet pooled in the pit of his stomach and when he opened his mouth, the words “marry me” almost fell out. He managed to rein himself back in and not spoil his plan for the evening by proposing too soon. But he looked over at Neil for as long as he could while driving and allowed one of his rare smiles to curve his mouth. “We’re almost there.”

The sun was just setting when Andrew turned off the highway onto a gravel road. Glorious colour filled the sky as he set up the blanket and laid out their supper.

Neil looked at him in wonder. “What’s the occasion?” he asked. “Did I forget an anniversary?”

Andrew shook his head. “Eat your sandwich,” he said, hating how fond his voice gets when talking to his favourite person, even when that person is being an annoying pain in the butt.

The sun set as they ate and the sky darkened above them. Eventually Andrew packed up the food and they laid on their backs on the blanket and watched the stars come out, one by one at first, and then all at once, an endless ocean of glimmering lights above them. They didn’t speak for a long time, just laid side by side, Neil’s left hand clutched in Andrew’s right.

The moment was almost perfect. Andrew was just about to gather his courage and speak when he heard a familiar snuffling sigh beside him. Incredulously, he propped himself up on one elbow to look down at Neil. The absolute love of his life, the man he was just about to propose to, had fallen fast asleep. Andrew held the laughter in. He scooped Neil up from the ground and gently placed him back in the car.

“Drew,” Neil muttered sleepily, not really waking before snuggling into the leather seats.

Andrew took his time packing up the blanket and the remains of their picnic. It was too dark to read his cue cards anyway.

4.

If Andrew was going to successfully propose to one Neil Josten, he was going to have to figure out a way to make it too exciting to sleep. The starlit picnic had gone great for the most part but it needed to feel a little more significant.

For one insane moment, he considered asking Nicky for advice, but he was not ready to face the consequences of that. For one, Nicky would probably cry for three hours and he would not let Andrew hang up. And secondly, he was not ready to receive texts from his cousin every ten minutes until he proposed. He was going to do this right, not under duress from an impatient, meddling Nicky.

But there was no reason he had to tell Nicky it was going to be a proposal. He could still pick his brain for fun date ideas.

Normally, they would skype every Sunday, but Andrew didn’t want Nicky to be able to see his face so he called him on the phone instead.

He suffered through the meaningless small talk before asking. “So if I wanted to take Neil out on a date…” he began. He trailed off, not knowing exactly how to ask without giving the game up.

Nicky was silent for a second. “Don’t you go out on dates all the time?”

“Well yeah, but we do the same kinds of things all the time. We go to the movies and get takeout. Sometimes we go for drives. I’m looking for something…” he was going to say “different” but Nicky cut him off before he could get the word out.

“Spicier?!!” Nicky squealed, practically shattering his ear drum.

“I guess?” Andrew said.

“What is the one thing Neil loves nearly as much as you?” Nicky asked.

“Exy?” 

“Yeah, so let him fuck Exy,” Nicky said.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Andrew asked.

“You know, get all dressed up in your goalie pads, wear something under it that’s a little naughty, and let him rip it off of you. I guarantee you’ll have a great time,” Nicky said. If Andrew could see him, he’s sure he’d be winking furiously.

“I don’t know why I thought you’d be helpful,” Andrew growled.

“Sorry, forgot you were opposed to fun,” Nicky teased him. “Anyway, I caught your game last week. I can’t believe you scored a goal from your own net. Pretty badass.”

Andrew flushed, but he wasn’t too embarrassed to let Nicky gush over him.

After he hung up, Nicky’s suggestion wouldn’t let him go. It was cheesy and weird and absolutely nothing that they had done before… but at least Neil wouldn’t fall asleep.

Shopping for the underwear was probably the worst part. Andrew was pretty good at remaining impassive no matter what was going on inside but it was really difficult to keep a straight face when he was buying something black and lacy in his size.

He picked a night when Neil wasn’t going to be home for supper and set the scene. He filled their room with fake LED candles. They’d already learned that real ones were a bad idea in a cat owner’s house. He put fresh sheets on the bed and made it nicely. He tidied up the dirty laundry on the floor and put it in the washing machine. He pulled out the black eyeliner he used when going clubbing and carefully applied it.

Neil texted him about fifteen minutes before he was coming home and Andrew got changed, the lace of the black underwear making him feel strange and sensitive. He pulled on his tall socks, knee guards, and court shoes. He donned his shoulder pads and pulled Neil’s old Foxes jersey over top. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought he looked ridiculous. The jersey was tight and stretched across the shoulder pads. He hadn’t bothered with pants. He wanted to make it obvious what was going on. Knowing Neil, he would assume that Andrew just wanted to go out for night practice and Andrew did not want to know what this underwear would feel like if he tried to run.

He put the goalie helmet on and then pulled it off again, not sure if he should be wearing it when Neil came in. He put it on and removed it a few more times before he heard Neil’s key in the lock.

Quickly, he jammed the helmet back on his head and stretched out on the bed in what he hoped was a sexy pose. Belatedly, he realized he had left the ring in his sock drawer and it wasn’t in his hand like he had planned. It was too late to get up and grab it.

“Andrew?” Neil called from the hallway.

“In here,” Andrew said, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

“Are you sick? Why are you in…” Neil’s voice trailed off as he opened the bedroom door and walked in.

Andrew opened his mouth to launch into his speech but he couldn’t even get a word out before Neil, eyes dark with hunger, was coming toward him.

“Yes or no,” Neil growled. “Although I think I can guess.”

Andrew could only nod wordlessly. Neil was like a hound on a leash. The moment Andrew gave him permission, Neil lunged forward and it was an embarrassingly short time before they were both coming, gasping into each other’s mouths, Neil keening as he clenched around Andrew’s fingers.

Neil flopped over, not caring that he was smearing their come between him. “What prompted that?” he gasped.

Andrew’s brain was still offline and he said the first thing that came to mind. “Nicky.”

Neil stared at him like he’d grown another head before dissolving into laughter, burying his face in the goalie pads that still sat crookedly on Andrew’s shoulders.

Andrew halfheartedly considered getting up and grabbing the ring box and the cue cards, but Neil was warm and heavy against him and something deep inside told him he still hadn’t found the right moment. 

5\. 

Andrew went back to the drawing board. Neil sometimes looked at him with a worried furrow between his brows and Andrew did his best to kiss it away, but it was as if Neil could sense the words unspoken between them. Andrew didn’t want to wait, to let this push them apart, but he still had no idea how he was going to ask. The little box sat, untouched in his sock drawer.

“Oh,” Neil said, sitting up quickly from where he was cuddled into Andrew’s side. “Matt and Dan are organizing a reunion party. It’s the 7 year anniversary of the day we first beat the Ravens and won the championship.”

“7 years is a weird number for a reunion,” Andrew said.

“Matt said something about it being the number of perfection? I don’t know. But they’re renting one of the common rooms in Fox Tower and everybody’s going. It would be nice to see them. It’s been a while,” Neil said, turning his big blue eyes on Andrew.

“Matt and Dan’s wedding last year would have been the last time,” Andrew agreed.

“Are you going to come with me?” Neil asked.

Normally, Andrew would put up a token fight, but the seeds of an idea have taken root and he doesn’t have the presence of mind to argue.

“Book the tickets,” he said, kissing Neil’s bright curls.

Of course, the moment he walks in the door, he wants to walk right back out again. Everyone is smiling. There are so many hugs and there are three he can’t avoid. Nicky is the first, of course. But Renee hugs him next. And since when was Aaron so okay with showing affection to his twin?

Neil was still being passed around the room by the time Andrew managed to extricate himself and find a safe corner to watch the party from a distance.

It was nice though, to be back in this place, to spend time with these people, to remember who he was when he arrived and who he became when he left, to remember how this place, this team, had become a catalyst for the healing he never thought he’d find.

The dinner was good. Chatter flowed around him like he was a rock in a stream and he stuffed himself with pepperoni pizza and Abby’s unforgettable salted caramel brownies, at peace even with that damned box in his pocket. Matt stood to give a toast and Andrew knew this was his chance. He could get up in front of all of them, let them know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this thing he had with Neil was something, was everything, was forever.

He let the moment pass. Something still didn’t feel quite right.

+1

After dinner, the rest of the Foxes moved to the couches and sat in small groups to catch up. Neil was sandwiched between Matt and Dan while Allison stood behind the couch and played with his hair. Andrew was half listening to a conversation between Aaron and Nicky. Katelyn was silent too. Her eyes were heavy and she leaned on Aaron’s shoulder, her left hand gently caressing her growing baby bump.

The velvet box in Andrew’s pocket beat in time with Andrew’s heart as he watched Neil smile and laugh. He stood, cutting Nicky off mid-sentence, and crossed the room.

“Can I borrow Neil for a moment?” he asked.

The rest of the group exchanged knowing looks as Andrew took Neil by the hand and led him away. They climbed the stairs to the roof. It still looked so familiar, even though it had been a year, eleven months, a week, and three days since they had last been in this place together. There were so many memories of kisses and promises. And Andrew knew this was the right place.

He and Neil sat down on the edge of the roof, feet dangling, and looked out over the campus.

“Are you okay?” Neil asked.

“Of course. Why?” Andrew asked.

“You’ve been so quiet,” Neil admitted. “Part of me wondered if you brought me here to break up with me so at least I’d have the rest of my family around to console me. But jokes on you because it wouldn’t help. And you know nearly everyone down there would kill you for breaking my heart.” Neil forced a false lightness into his tone but Andrew wasn’t fooled.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cue cards that he’d been carrying around for months. He couldn’t focus to read them at all, so he tore them into a dozen tiny pieces and threw them over the edge of the building.

He reached over and took Neil’s hand in his. “I am never breaking up with you,” he said.

“Oh good.” Neil grinned. “Same.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “I had a speech,” he said. “It was fucking beautiful.”

Neil’s eyes were full of confusion. “Okay?”

“When I think about my future,” Andrew said, squeezing Neil’s hand tightly, “it’s, well, it’s fucking scary. There are so many pieces to move around and it’s easy to drop them or break them or lose them and it’s so hard to pull them together and turn them into a life.” 

“Where are you going with this?” 

“I realized recently that it doesn’t really matter,” Andrew said, “not when the only piece I truly need is you.” His hands shook but somehow, without dropping it off the roof, he managed to reach into his pocket and pull out the ring box and hand it to Neil.

Neil opened it up and stared at the ring inside. “Andrew, is this?...” He looked up, hope a wild thing on his face.

“Marry me, Neil Josten,” he said.

“Fuck yeah.” Sunshine spread across Neil’s face and though the hour was late, Andrew was nearly blinded.

Andrew pulled the ring out of the damn velvet box and pitched the box off the roof. Neil laughed brightly and stuck out his hand for Andrew to put the ring on his finger.

“I guess now if you want to get rid of me, you really will have to murder me,” Neil said, leaning in and capturing Andrew’s mouth in a bruising kiss.

They stayed out a little longer, wanting to keep the news to themselves for a little longer, even though they were both grateful that everyone important to them was gathered below and would be right there to celebrate with them.

Neil looked a little closer at the ring when they were back under the artificial lights.

“I, uh, had it inscribed,” Andrew said.

Neil pulled it off and looked inside, laughing when he saw the delicate numbers, 384%. “You’re such a sap. The others have no idea. Should I tell them about all the times you tried to propose?”

“You knew?” Andrew asked, embarrassed, and honestly a little annoyed that Neil hadn’t put him out of his misery.

“Well, not then, but suddenly a lot of strange things make far too much sense,” Neil teased.

“Maybe I will murder you after all,” Andrew mused.

Neil bumped his shoulder against Andrew’s, grin growing impossibly wider. Andrew grasped Neil’s hand and led him back down the stairs to the party. They had an announcement to make.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Missed Cues](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23977144) by [ApprenticedMagician](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApprenticedMagician/pseuds/ApprenticedMagician)




End file.
